The chancellor's ability this week to give back some of the higher taxes he had planned stems in large measure from the government's own underspending. In Labour's first year in office, departments from defence to education and employment, and from trade and industry to agriculture underspent - along, most notably, with social security....more

Lib Dems claim Blair misled Commons
Tony Blair, the prime minister, misled MPs over the impact of the Budget, the Liberal Democrats claimed yesterday, citing analysis by the independent House of Commons library. Malcolm Bruce, the party's Treasury spokesman, said the figures proved that the prime minister's claims that the Budget would cut taxes for every family were "lies"....more

COMPETITION
Byers to shame groups that overcharge
Stephen Byers, the trade and industry secretary, yesterday set out plans to use competition legislation to shame companies charging unfairly high prices for consumer goods into bringing them into line with international levels. Mr Byers said he planned to exercise rarely used powers in existing legislation to direct John Bridgeman, director general of Fair Trading, on priorities for the Office of Fair Trading, which investigates anti-competitive practices....more

MOTORING
Signs of revolt over Europe's highest fuel prices
The motor trade, motoring organisations, consumer organisations and the road haulage industry were showing clear signs of rebellion yesterday after almost a decade of resigned acceptance of annual higher-than- inflation fuel prices....more

POSSIBLE ELECTION
Brown woos voters
All Budgets are only partly about economics and a lot about politics. Half way through a parliament, the political element becomes even more important, as chancellors start looking anxiously towards the next general election....more

THATCHER LEGACY
Looms over Brown's performance
Margaret Thatcher should be feeling pretty smug today. Tuesday's Budget demonstrates that the government remains in her thrall when it comes to the presentation - as opposed to the reality - of tax policy....more

POLITICAL REACTION
Hague attacks 'pickpocket chancellor'
Gordon Brown's Budget was designed to "spike the Conservative guns" on taxation rather than address the country's real problems, the Liberal Democrats claimed last night.However, they conceded that the chancellor's moves, including cutting the basic rate of income tax, had blunted the attacks over the rising burden of taxation....more